The present invention relates to a facial image recognition apparatus recognizing a facial image of a person, for example, in a security management or the like and a pass control apparatus controlling the pass of a passenger, employing this facial image recognition apparatus.
With respect to conventional facial image recognition apparatuses, recognition rates are deteriorated in some cases when the facial image of a human recognition object is photographed under the influence of outer light such as indoor illumination and solar light. In order to reduce such deterioration in the recognition rate due to the influence of the outer light, following techniques have been proposed in conventional facial image recognition apparatuses.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836 discloses a technique in which the illumination condition of a time of image pickup is made constant by installing a lighting apparatus in an upper part of the apparatus and controlling the light quantity and the radiation direction of the lighting apparatus.
However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836, it is necessary to provide a control circuit to control the quantity of light for all illumination conditions. Further, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836, it is necessary to newly provide a drive circuit to drive the lighting apparatus in order to control illumination angle of the light at several levels. Thus, since it is necessary to newly provide a control circuit for controlling the quantity of light or a drive circuit for driving a lighting apparatus in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836, there is a problem that the device becomes complex and the cost of the device is increased.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-175718 discloses a technique in which information previously registered is updated at a time of a change in an illumination condition in order to restraint changes in an illumination condition (changes in properties with year or time). However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-175718, since it is necessary to update registered information at the time of a change in an illumination condition, there is a problem that an encumbrance for a user increases.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-167632 discloses a technique in which a facial image is registered again when a recognition rate is deteriorated. However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-167632, since registration is performed again when the recognition rate is deteriorated, for example, it is necessary for a person of a human recognition object or the like who changes his/her hair style daily to update registered information every recognition time. Consequently, there is a problem that convenience for a user is deteriorated.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836 discloses a technique in which the direction of an image pickup camera is changed when the direction of the human recognition object at a recognition time differs from the direction of the person previously registered. In the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836, needed is a drive device changing the direction of the image pickup camera when the direction of the human recognition object at a recognition time differs from the direction of the person previously registered. Thus, there is a problem that the structure of the apparatus becomes complex or the cost of the apparatus increases.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-191856 discloses a technique in which a sight line guiding device guiding a line of sight in the apparatus is provided. However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-191856, it is necessary to newly provide a control circuit controlling the direction of the image pickup camera and the sight line guiding device in order to provide the sight line guiding device guiding a line of sight on the device. Thus, there is a problem that the structure of the apparatus becomes complex or the cost of the apparatus increases.
In some cases in conventional facial image recognition apparatuses, the recognition rates are deteriorated when photographing conditions such as distance and direction of a person are not constant. For example, in a facial image recognition apparatus, when a person inputs a facial image in a condition of stand-up posture, it is necessary to grapple with a problem for height differences among shorter height persons and taller height persons in order to capture a facial image under a condition where a right front face of a person is photographed or an approximately front face is photographed. Thus, following techniques have been proposed in order to make photographing conditions such as distance and direction of a person constant in conventional facial image recognition apparatuses.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H10-134188 discloses a technique to make a person photographing condition constant by two cameras. That is, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H10-134188, two cameras are arranged vertically. A taller height person photographs his facial image by a camera arranged in an upper position. A shorter height person photographs his facial image by a camera arranged in a lower position.
However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-134188, at least two cameras are necessary in order to obtain a facial image in a state wherein a person is standing in order not to encumber the person. Thus, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-134188, extra needed is one image input system such as a camera, an image capture circuit, and a control circuit, compared with a case where only one camera is employed. Further, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-134188, needed is a means selecting one camera in whose visual field a facial image exists, whereby a problem arises that the apparatus structure becomes very complex.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711 discloses a technique in which a photographing condition is made constant only by one camera. That is, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711 discloses a technique in which a descending slope in which a floor face descends gradually toward a camera direction is provided so that the apparatus is set so that the head to be photographed automatically enters to the photographing area of a camera.
However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, since it is assumed that a facial image is obtained while movement is made without encumbering a person, following problems arise.
First, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, it is necessary to previously input height information obtained by a card reader before a facial image is inputted. Thus, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, processing at the time of registering a facial image becomes complex.
In the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, a photographing position set for each human object who has a distinct height is detected by an operation condition of a plurality of optical sensors provided in an upper side part of the slope. Thus, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, plural optical sensors are necessary, and also a high accuracy is needed for positioning based on a detection result of each optical sensor.
In the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, for example, a visual attention mark emitting blue light to an upper front part of a human photographing object is employed for a sight line guide for the human photographing object. However, in the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711, when face recognition is performed, in a case where a human recognition object is known in advance, the sight line guide only by the visual attention mark is difficult to be recognized.
Further, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-312711 does not describe a method regarding a case where a human recognition object is stopped so that recognition of a facial image is performed.